Italian Herb Veg & Quinoa

Maybe it’s because all my visits to Italy have been in the winter, but I associate Italian flavors with cold weather. Since the East Coast is now officially knee deep in autumn chill, I felt some Italian herbs were in order. For some reason both Sara and I have been posting a lot of breads lately, but I swear we’re still eating veggies! Now, if you don’t like quinoa (I’m looking at you Nikki 😉 ), just substitute your favorite rice (adjusting cooking time and liquid accordingly).

Ingredients – Veggies:

1 TBS canola oil

1 small onion

3 cloves garlic

2 large carrots

1 small head broccoli

1 red bell pepper

1 C spinach

1 C frozen peas

1 tsp sage, oregano

1 TBS salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Ingredients – Quinoa:

1 C quinoa

3/4 C water

3/4 C veggie broth

2 tsp salt

1 TBS olive oil

Instructions:

1. Rinse quinoa VERY thoroughly to remove its natural coating of bitter powder. In medium pan, bring water, broth, quinoa, olive oil and salt to a boil. Then immediately reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 18 minutes, or until all liquid has cooked away. Remove from heat and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

2. While quinoa is cooking, heat canola oil over medium heat and saute onion. When onion begins to turn clear, add garlic. Continue to saute until slightly browned.

3. Add broccoli and carrots, along with the herbs, salt and pepper. Cook covered for about 5 minutes, or until broccoli turns bright green, stirring occasionally.

4. Add peas, spinach and bell pepper. Cook uncovered for 6-8 minutes, or until all spinach is wilted and peas are hot, hot, hot!

5. The spinach and peas will release a lot of water into the pan, so I use a slotted spoon to transfer the veggies over to the quinoa. Then I give the broth to my pooch. But if you like a saucy dish, you could go wild and a pour everything over the quinoa. Stir quinoa and veggies together and enjoy!

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